Gas-engine governor.



PATENTED AUG. 8, 1905.

' T; B. J'EPFBRY. v

GASBNGINB GOVERNOR. APPLICATION FILED DBO.14. 1903. RENEWBD'APR. 3,1905.

' thereabout.

, UNITED sTATEs PATENT ()FFIC-E. THOMAS B. IJEFFIEFOF KENOSHA, WISCONSIN.

jGAS-ENGINE GOVERNOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1905.

Application filed December 14. 1903. Renewed April 3, 1905. Serial No. 253,630-

To all whom it Wtay concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs B. J EFFERY, a

. citizen of the United States, residing at Kenosha, in the county of Kenosha and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gas Engine Governors, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved governor for electric igniters to govern the time of sparking in an explosivemotor conformably to the speed of the motor for the particular purpose of preventing the motor from acquiring excessive speed by the continued advance of the time of sparking as the speed increases and to cause such-increase of speed after a predetermined point to retard or interrupt the spark.

It consists in the features of construction set out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of agovernor embodying my invention, the parts being shown at position of rest. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the parts in full line in position occupied at the highest speed for which the governor is adjusted. Fig. 3 is a detail plan showing the parts concerned in the retardment at the position to which they would be moved by increase of speed beyond the intended maximum.

1 represents a shaft of the mechanism which is driven by the engine in uniform time relation thereto that is, so that said shaft makes a known number of revolutions for each cycle of the engines action, the number being necessarily as many only as there, are contactpieces revolving with the shaft for closing its circuit for producing an igniting-spark, and in the drawings this number is one.

2 is a disk secured to the shaft and rotating therewith and having pivoted to it centrifugal elements 3 3, having each a link 3, connecting their free ends with arms 4: 4 of an element 4, mounted on the shaft 1 for oscillation Springs 5 5, stopped between lugs 2, projectingfrom the disk and tensioning-nuts 6 on the ends of the links 6, which extend through the springs and through the lugs 2 and are loosely or pivotally connected to the centrifugal elements 3, operate to yieldingly resist the centrifugal action or departure of the elements 3 from the axis of the shaft, as the rotation of the shaft and disk tends to cause them to depart, and by adjusting the springs to any desired tension by means of the nuts 6 the extent of centrifugal movement of said elements 3 3, developed by the rotation of the shaft to any given speed, is controlled.

The contact-piece-carrying element 7 consists of a sleeve mounted on the shaft for oscillation thereabout, having the contact-piece 7 at the periphery, the remainder of the periphery being formed by an insulating substance 7", so that the electric contact is maintained only while the piece 7 is passing the fixed ,contact element 8, mounted on any fixed support apart from the shaft. The contactcarrying piece 7 has at opposite points lugs 7 7 which are connected by links 9 9 with lever-arms 1O 1O, pivoted to the rocking element 4: at opposite sides of the axis and weighted at 10 to cause their centers of gravity to be definitely situated at desired points oppositely eccentric with respect to the shaft. Each of the levers 10 has its connection by means of the link 9 to the lug 7 at the opposite side of the axis of the shaft from that at which said lever is fulcrumed on the oscillating part 4, and it is also stopped by the shaft in its movement in the direction which would tend to rock the contact-piece-carrying element 7 about the shaft in the reverse direction from the rotation of the latter. Such stopping may conveniently be effected by providing the levers 10 10 each with an arm or finger 10, extendingpast the shaft at a point opposite that at which the center of gravity of the entire lever 10, computing its weight 10", is located. Fast on the shaft in the transverse plane of the toe or projection 1O at the end of the arm 10 of the lever having such arm is a cam disk or collar 12, whose periphery is circular for a distance corresponding to the maximum extent of the rocking movement of theelement at which will be caused by the centrifugal movement of the weights 3in the acceleration of the rotary speed of the shaft from zero to the highest designed to be permitted, said periphery being out back to cause it to retreat from the circular outline at a point which will reach the toe l0 when the maximum speed is attained. The lever-arm 10 may have and preferably has, as illustrated, a corresponding projection 10 at a point diametrically opposite the toe 10, which bears upon the periphcry, of the cam or collar 12, and said collar may for that purpose have its circular outline continued around to the opposite side to afford such bearing, by which said lever is kept positively in unchanging relation to the axis until the retreating portion of the periphery of the cam reaches the finger l0, whereupon the centrifugal tendency of the lever, due to the location of the weight or extension 10 operates to swing the lever about its fulcrum in direction to cause it, by means of the link 9, to rock the contact-piece-carrying element 7 about the shaft in the reverse direction from that in which the shaft is rotating, thereby carrying the con tact-piece backward in the direction of rotation and delaying the sparking action and igniter. \Vhen the speed of the motor is diminished bysuch delay, the return of the centrifugal weights 3 3 toward the center on account of their diminished centrifugal tendency will rock the element 4 in the reverse direction from that which caused the retarding action described and restore the parts to position for ignition advanced to the point of the maximum speed for which the governor is adjusted.

Iclaim 1. A gas engine governor comprising a shaft rotated in uniform time relation to the complete cycle of the engines action; a centrifugal element carried by the shaft; an element rocking on the shaft and connected to said centrifugal element for such rocking movement; a secondary centrifugal element pivotally connected with the rocking element eccentrically with respect to the shaft; means on the shaft stopping the centrifugal movement of said secondary element until after limited rocking movementof the rocking element, and a contact-piece operatively connected with said secondary element.

2. A gas engine governor comprising a shaft rotated in uniform time relation to the complete cycle of the engines action; a primary centrifugal element carried by the shaft; a contact piece carrying element pivotally mounted and carried by the rocking element in the rocking movement of the latter; a secondary centrifugal element pivotall y connected with the rocking element eccentricall y with respect to the shaft; means on the shaft stopping the centrifugal movement of said secondary element until after limited rocking movement of the rocking element, and movement-transmitting connections from said secondary centrifugal element to the contactpiece-carrying element.

3. A gas-engine governor comprising a shaft rotated in uniform time relation to the complete cycle of the engines action; a centrifugal element carried by the shaft in its rotation; an element rocking on the shaft and connected to the centrifugal element for such rocking movement; a secondary centrifugal element carried by the rocking element and partaking of its rocking movement; a contact-piece operatively connected with said secondary element, the latter having an arm extending past the shaft at the side toward which it is held by the centrifugal tendency,

and an element on the shaft stopping such arm and having its periphery retreating or recessed at a point reached by the bearingpoint of the arm after limited rocking movement aboutthe shaft.

4. A gas-engine governor comprising a shaft rotated in uniform time relation to the complete cycle of the engines action; a centrifugal element carried by the shaft; an element rocking on the shaft and connected with the centrifugal element for such rocking movement; a lever pivoted to the rockingelen'lent eccentrically with respect to the shaft and extending past the latter, said lever being weighted to cause its centrifugal tendency in the rotation of the shaft to press it toward the axis; a contact-piece operatively connected with said lever, whereby such contactpiece vis carried with the shaftin its rotation, with the rocking element in its rocking, and with said lever in its centrifugal action; an element on the shaft against which said lever is pressed by its centrifugal tendency, said element having retreating outline at a part reached by the bearing of the lever thereagainst to permit the latter to yield toward the axis after limited rocking movement.

5. A gas-engine governor comprising a shaft rotated in uniform time relation to the complete cycle of the engines action; a centrifugal element carried by the shaft; an element rocking on the shaft and connected to such centrifugal element for such rocking movement; a contact-piece-carrying element mounted for oscillation about the shaft, and centrifugally-operated means for oscillating it in the reverse direction from the rocking movement after limited continuance of the latter.

6. A. gas-engine governor comprising a shaft rotated in uniform time relation to the complete cycle of the engines action; a centrifugal element carried by the shaft; an element rocking on the shaft and connected with the centrifugal element for such rocking movement; a lever pivotally connected with the rocking element having arms extending at opposite sides of the shaft and weighted at one side thereof to cause its centrifugal tendency in the rotation of the latter to press it toward the shaft at the other side; means on the shaft against which it bears when thus pressed, said means having a retreating portion in its outline which is reached by the bearing-point of the lever thereagainst in the rocking movement, for permitting the lever to yield inward at that side of the shaft when said point is reached, and a contact-piece operatively connected with the lever and carried thereby, both in the rocking and in the yield ing movement.

7. A gas-engine governor comprising a shaft rotated in uniform time relation to the complete cycle of the engines action; a centrifugal element carried by the shaft; an element rocking on the shaft and connected with the centrifugal element for such. rocking movement; a contact-piece-carrying element and a secondary centrifugal element, both carried by said rocking element in its rocking movement, and connected together for communicating to the contact-piece-carrying element from the centrifugal element upon the centrifugal movement of the latter, movement relative to the rocking element, said centrifugal element having an arm extending past the shaft weighted to cause its centrifugal tendency in the rotation of the shaft to press the arm toward the axis, and an element on the shaft stopping such arm, and having its periphery retreating or recessed at a point reached by the bearing point of the arm thereagainst after limited rocking movement about the shaft. I

8. A gas engine governor comprising a shaft rotated in uniform time relation to the complete cycle of the engines action; a centrifugal element carried by the shaft; an element rocking about the shaft and connected with the centrifugal element for such rocking movement; a lever pivotally connected with the rocking element eccentrically with respect to the shaft, extending therepast, and weighted to locate its center of gravity at the opposite side of the shaft from that at which it extends past the same; a contact-piece-car: rying element mounted for rocking about the shaft, and connections from said lever to said contact-piece-carrydng element for rocking the latter by the centrifugal movement of the former; an element on the shaft against which said lever is held by its centrifugal tendency, having in its outline a retreating portion reached by the bearing-point of the lever thereagainst in the movement of said rocking element about the shaft, to permit said lever to yield to said centrifugal tendency for rocking the contact-piece-carrying element.

9. A gas engine governor comprising a shaft rotated in uniform time relation to the complete cycle of the engines action; a centrifugal element carried by the shaft; an element rocking on the shaft and connected with the centrifugal element for such rocking movement; a lever connected with the rocking element extending at both sides of the shaft,

weighted to locate its center of gravity at one side; means on the shaft against which the arm bears at the other side; a contact-piececarrying element mounted for oscillation about the shaft; connections from said lever to said contact-piece-carrying element for oscillating the latter with the centrifugal movement of the former.

10. A gas-engine governor comprising a shaft rotated in uniform time relation to the complete cycle of the engines action; a centrifugal element carried by the shaft; an element rocking on the shaft and connected with the centrifugal element for such rocking movement; a lever connected with the rocking element extending at both sides of the shaft, weighted to locate its center of gravity at one side; means on the shaft against which the arm bears at the other side; a contact-piececarrying element mounted for oscillation about the shaft; connections from said lever to said contact-piece-carrying element for oscillating the latter with the centrifugal movement of the former, and a second lever carried by the rocking element, symmetrically disposed with respect to the first, and also connected with said contact-piece-carrying element for rocking the same. 7

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two witnesses, at Chicago, Illinois, this 3d day of December,

THOS. B. JEFFERY.

In presence of CHAS. S. BURTON, FREDK. G. FISCHER. 

